MARY LEE HU (b. 1943)
Mary Lee Hu, born in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1943 is a celebrated american studio jewelry artist and master goldsmith. she earned her B.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1965 and her M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University in 1967. It was during her graduate studies that she first began to experiment with weaving wire—a technique that would become the hallmark of her jewelry.
Hu is known for creating intricate, one-of-a-kind pieces by weaving metal threads as though they were textile fibers. While her artistic style has evolved over the years, her materials and methods have remained remarkably consistent. Hu transforms high-karat gold wire into necklaces, brooches, earrings, and rings that appear soft and fluid, despite their metal construction. She uses no loom—only her hands—to achieve this illusion of movement and textile-like texture.
Reflecting on her inspiration, Hu recalls:
“After I had been weaving for a while, I was examining a Northwest Coast cedar bark basket with a surface texture I liked and noticed it used two wefts in each row, twisting around each other as they passed over and under the warps. One would go over and the other under, then they’d switch, creating a twisted effect. This is called twining, a technique common in basketry and some loom-woven rugs. I fell in love with it. When two elements twist tightly—especially if they are flat and wide—the twist forms a visible diagonal, which I found visually compelling. To replicate that in my work, I began using two round wires as a broader weft, keeping the warps closely spaced to achieve a tighter twist. Others have referred to this method as double twining, and I’ve used it almost exclusively since 1976.”
Her interest in body adornment has led her to conduct research around the world, including in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, New Zealand, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.
Hu’s jewelry is in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Renwick Gallery, and many other US collections, and in London at Goldsmith’s Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Hu is Professor Emeritus at University of Washington where she taught Metal Arts from 1980 until 2006. MOST RECENTLY, SHE WAS AWARDED THE 2024 SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICAN GOLDSMITHS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
